1/23/16

As I’m sure
most of you have noticed, both contest and comments are down on the site. There
really isn’t that much to talk about at this point in the off-season, beyond Yoenes Cespedes, and I wasn’t really sure what I was
going to come up this weekend.

Then I read
the news on Eudor Garcia.

It seems
that our prospect third baseman tested positive for bumetanice and furosemide,
two performance enhancing drugs on the no-fly list. This earned him an ochenta
game suspension and change the roster projections for opening day 2016 (look
for either Phillip Evans, Jhoan Urena, or Jeff McNeill to
be held up at St. Lucie or JC Rodriquez to set
up as a starter in Florida).

I’ve written
about this subject a number of times in the past and the fact that it mostly is
a ‘Latin thing’ due to the desire to turn one’s body into something that nature
didn’t give them to start. Every kid from Columbia to the Dominican wants to
grow up someday and look like Alex Rodriguez…
the problem is he didn’t get to look that way naturally either.

The rules of
the games regarding banned substances, testing, and suspensions started in
January 2004. 49 major league players have been suspended, starting with Tampa
Bay OF Alex Sanchez, 32 of which are Latin.

60 more
players had major league experience but were busted while playing in the
minors. 40 of them were Latin.

More
importantly, the rules are getting harsher every year. Sanchez’ suspension was
for 10 games. Garcia is for 80. 80 minor league games is like a full season
lost and the complete loss of the team’s confidence in your future. Look at
Garcia. He is a college kid out of El Paso. He hit .296 for Savannah last
season and was ranked as one of the top ten Mets prospects. Was all that all
smoke, mirrors, and PEDs?

And another
thing… you want to beat this system and not have anyone ask you to piss in a
cup? Easy, go hit .198 in A-ball.

I’m really
upset at losing Garcia for just about the entire 2016 season. He turns 22 in
May and now pushes him back a year in a system that will need a third baseman
in… wait a minute… this means Garcia won’t be ready for Queens until either
2019 or 2020, the last year of David Wright’s contract.

How about some mack q and a.......Hey mack, speaking of future at 3B, can u think of options in mets farm system that can switch positions over to third? Cecchini? Or wwhich one of the 20 SS prospects in low minors could maybe do it in your opinion?

Mets just turned a mediocre offseason into something to remember. What just happened is almost unprecedented. Did he really just spurn 25+ million dollars to stay a Met? One hopes this attitude spreads to our starting pitchers!

If he opts out we don't get a draft pick do we? If he does opt out it will mean he had a great year and earned his money and if we get another draft pick on top of that would just be stellar.

The Cespedes signing makes us huge favorites to win the division. I love that he'll be here with something to prove and money to play for. I hope he has a huge season, and earns the rest of that huge long-term payday he's looking for. It would be great for us in '16, obviously, but would also set a great precedent. Clearly too, this says a lot about just how undesirable the Nats' situation is.

WOW! I'm tempted to say I never doubted it for a minute, but although I always held out some hope, I realized that it looked to be a long shot from the start. Alderson deserves all the credit in the world for pulling off this unprecedented coup. This signing proves decisively that The New York Mets are finally a highly desired destination for major league ballplayers. With the addition of Yoenis, the Mets have to be regarded as co-favorites, with the Cubs, to represent the NL in the 2016 World Series.

YO has plenty of incentive to not only have a monster year but also continue to show what David was reportedly talking about which is that he's a great teammate on and off the field. This is all good for the 2016 Metsies.

Gents,This is a great deal on many levels, and certainly pumps me up even more for the 2016 season.

That said, I don't want to pull a Bryce Harper and count eggs (or rings) before they are hatched. As we saw with the 2015 Nats, many things can happen along the way. And, even if you make the postseason, short series are a roll of the dice. All in all, though, a great day to be a Met fan, and I have to tip my hat to Mr. Alderson in that he has done a tremendous job (with some gifts from Omar) in laying a foundation for sustained winning, which is all I have ever asked for.

Kudos to the Met fans for hanging in there, Cespedes for wanting to return, Alderson for sticking to his guns, the Wilpons for putting up the dough, and Collins and the players for sustaining a clubhouse that players want to be a part of.

If I am Cespedes, 3 years 75MM is better than 5/$100. After 3 years, unless he really regresses, he'd get more than 2 years, $25K. Cespedes made the right choice. I am thrilled. I will go to more games this year as a result. Right decisions are profitable decisions